Yes Virginia, Resolutions Can Work

Sure they sound great (especially after a few glasses of champagne), but how many New Year’s resolutions ever make it past January’s elimination round before getting booted off the island? Whether shedding pounds, saving money or stopping smoking, the epic proportions and daunting discipline we attach to our perennial ambitions doom most from the start. Starting with the realization that change is possible, read on for tips on sticking with that resolution and seeing a new you in 2009.

Be Specific, Be Realistic
You may want to lose weight, but unless you set a specific goal (shedding five pounds a month, for instance) the odds are against you. By establishing a tangible benchmark, you’re preparing your mind for action and entering what behavioral psychologists call a “contemplative” stage of change (having a desire to change and identifying potential roadblocks).

Start Planning
Make your goal visible. Get a calendar to cross off how many days you’ve gone without a smoke or start a journal to track your weight loss. Recruit the support of family and friends and research how others have successfully made similar changes. The preparation stage is essential to cementing your resolution and increasing your chances for success.

Take Action!
You’ve bought new running shoes, started a savings account or stocked up on nicotine substitutes. Now it’s time to put them to use! Track your progress daily and reward yourself with each eclipsed milestone. By reinforcing your goals during this action stage, you’re reaffirming your objective and physically affecting change.

Practice Makes Perfect
It takes approximately 21-30 days for a repeated action to become a habit. If you’ve made a point of jogging everyday after work, after a month that action should feel normal. That’s not to say you’re in the clear. Many psychologists agree that the maintenance stage is often the most difficult. The biggest pitfall is taking your success for granted by neglecting your plan or allowing the occasional exception. Keep in mind that behavioral changes like healthy eating, nonsmoking and budgeting are lifelong objectives. Fortunately, like the saying goes, “practice makes perfect."

Q&A with Joli

Pür Minerals President Joli Baker recently sat down with Trends Asia for a candid, tell-all interview. Here’s what Joli revealed to the high-class fashion and beauty magazine.

Q: Is there an interesting side to the Pür Minerals story that most people would not know?
The most interesting thing about Pür Minerals that people probably don't know is that my husband, Bob, was actually the one who brought the original formula to me.

Q: What's your favorite product to recommend to the Asian customer?
I actually have two products that are my favorites to recommend to my Asian customers:
1. Colour Correcting Primer in Peach. This primer is a colour neutralizer that immediately creates a neutral palette of the complexion.
2. Mineral Light specialty powder. This powder lightens and brightens the complexion with a sheer, light-reflecting glow that is soft and beautiful.

Q: What's the part you have the most fun doing at Pür Minerals?
The most fun aspect of my job is live TV. I feel an immediate connection with the customer because they have literally invited me into their home and we have such a great time. I am able to communicate my message as if it were one on one.

Q: What's the most challenging part of starting a business like Pür Minerals?
The most challenging aspect in developing Pür Minerals was getting people to know about us. I had this fantastic product and initially it was difficult to get the customer to understand how special it was. We launched long before minerals were popular, and people just didn't understand. TV gave me the opportunity to explain to millions of women how my product worked and how it was so different from everything else in the marketplace.

Q: How do you conquer the challenge?
I really owe my success to The Shopping Channel because they gave me a voice. The brand really took off once people understood the 4-in-1 Pressed Mineral Makeup product and how passionate I was about creating something for women that truly improved their life. This one product offers an alternative to traditional makeup that is super easy to use, multi-tasking, contains great ingredients and requires so little time to achieve such great results. Canada gave me my start and really holds a special place in my heart.

Q: What's your 2009 plan? Any possibilities to enter the market in China?
My hope is that in 2009 we will see an expansion into more international markets. Right now we have a TV presence in the UK, Australia and Japan. My hope is to develop a wonderful network of distributors that will take my product worldwide. We would love to see expansion into China. Women all over the world deserve the opportunity to experience the difference Pür Minerals can make for their skin and in their life.

How to Ring in the New Year with Style

Just as one celebration draws to a close, another is set to begin. Whether hosting a countdown party or watching the ball drop with family and friends, rev up your revelry with these tips and tricks for a memorable New Year’s Eve.

Set the Mood
What would New Year’s be without noisemakers, confetti and paper hats? Make sure you stock up on the necessities well in advance. If you’re planning a party, have guests RSVP so you know how many accessories you’ll need. Bored of plastic bowler caps and black and white streamers? Consider a theme like “Casino Night” or “the Roaring Twenties” and encourage guests to dress as high rollers or flappers.

Perennial Provisions
Since large meals are traditionally slated for New Year’s Day, stick to snacks and finger foods the night before. If you’re expecting a large crowd, ask everyone to bring something. Chips and dip are fail-proof countdown fare; but for more discerning palettes, stock up on frozen hors d’oeuvres or deli platters. Buy champagne the day before so it has ample time to chill. If you want to really impress your guests, seek out one of several “grower champagnes”—small-batch reserves from a single vineyard—fast becoming the latest craze with many available for less than $45.

Let the Party Begin!
All eyes will be on the TV when the countdown begins, but what about before? Keep the energy up with group game or activity. Challenge guests to charades or trivia. If board games aren’t your thing, try a word game. Start with an open-ended phrase like “2008 was a big year for…” and have guests add a new word for every letter in the alphabet while repeating what’s already been said. Have some fun with resolutions. Gather guests’ handwritten resolutions for a drawing to see if others can identify who pledged what.

However you plan to welcome the New Year, keep in mind the best plans are those kept safe, pure and simple. Here’s to a wonderful holiday and a happy 2009!

Click here to create the pür-fect New Year's Eve party look with mineral makeup from Pür Minerals!

FREE Shipping at Pür Minerals

 Hurry - Three Days Only!

Now through December 28th, receive FREE Standard Shipping on every order at PurMinerals.com with no minimum purchase required. December 28th is the last day for shipping until January 12th. Stock up on your New Year's beauty essentials now!

Don't Miss Out on Our Holiday BOGO Event
All Pür Brilliance holiday items are Buy One, Get One FREE through December 28th. Enjoy dazzling colour and fun, flirty kits to help you greet 2009 in style!

Pür Minerals Launches On HSN January 1st!

We are SO excited about the upcoming launch of Pür Minerals on HSN!! Great exposure, and a great channel. Our lineup for launch on January 1st through the 3rd is as follows: 

• January 1, 2009 - 8pm EST
• January 2, 2009 - 10:30am, 3pm EST
• January 3, 2009 - 7am, 11:30pm EST

Kick off the New Year with Pür! Check us out for great deals on colour, skin care and more. 

Pür Minerals December 2008 Newsletter

A Happy New Year, A Gorgeous New You

Ring in the New Year with these get-gorgeous beauty essentials, designed to help you look and feel your best for 2009!

Every Woman Needs: Flawless Coverage
Make a fresh start with a soothing, natural looking foundation. Choose a multi-tasking, pressed formulation that won’t weigh your skin—or your makeup bag—down.

Talc-free 4-in-1 Pressed Mineral Makeup looks and feels like part of your skin. This award-winning foundation is also a powder and concealer with SPF 15 so that you can perfect your complexion—without all the fuss. 

Every Woman Needs: Lengthy Lashes
Let your eyes do the talking with lashes that know no limits. A lengthening, thickening mascara will give your eyelashes a boost and add just the right amount of drama to your look.

Designed to lengthen, thicken and curl all in one, Triple Impact Mascara wears all day into night with high-impact colour that won’t fade or smudge. Bonus: this super-volumizing formula is safe for sensitive eyes and contact lenses.

Every Woman Needs: Great Brows
We all aspire to achieve eyebrow perfection. An at-home sculpting session with a little shaping wax and colour will enhance your arches and have you looking like you just came from the salon.

Featuring two expert brow tools in one, Mineral Brow Perfection creates a natural frame for the eye. The shaping wax forms and smoothes while the mica-infused powder fills in and defines eyebrows.

Pür Tip: Using the Brow Brush, sweep the shaping wax against hair growth to fluff eyebrows.

Every Woman Needs: Silky Skin
Get skin in shape for the New Year with a deep-cleaning facial mask. A gently exfoliating clay or mud will help unclog pores and encourage new cell growth without over-drying skin.

Fortified with the detoxifying, skin-softening agent pascalite, Mineral Mudd Masque draws impurities out of your skin, revealing a smoother, brighter, healthier complexion.

From the Expert
“The holidays and New Year are filled with celebration and new beginnings. Start off on the right foot by nourishing your skin and creating a chic, modern look with colour that subtly enhances your best features—not overpowers them.” Joli Baker, Pür Minerals President

More New Year’s Makeup Must-Haves

Don’t miss out on the Pür Brilliance Collection featuring dazzling colour for the holidays and beyond. These exclusive beauty kits will help you design the pür-fect New Year’s Eve party look and greet 2009 in style!

Inspire, Reflect, Celebrate –  15 Pressed Mineral Shadows for all the eye looks you can create.
Live, Love, Laugh – 3 full-size Specialty Powders to blush, bronze and brighten your complexion.
Tease, Flirt, Charm – A trio of Glimmer Eye Pencils to light up your eyes all year long.

Now through December 28th, Buy One, Get One FREE on all Holiday 2008 items!

For expert makeup and skin care advice, sign up for the FREE Pür Minerals monthly E-Newsletter!

The Pür-fect Holiday Eye Look

If you’re searching for an eye look that’s fun, festive and fashionable for the holiday season, look no further! The Pür Minerals Inspire, Reflect, Celebrate eye shadow palette contains 15 brilliant Pressed Mineral Shadows PLUS an expert application how-to guide, so that you can design an array of alluring looks in a flash.

One of our favorites, the “Little Black Dress” of eye looks, pairs soft, shimmering shades with sultry, smoky hues to provide the pür-fect accent to your holiday party dress. Just follow these simple steps to get the look.

STEP 1: LID & CREASE
Start by sweeping NEW Emerald Dust shadow over your eyelids with the Eye Shadow Brush. Follow with Olivenite for a hint of drama, blending into the crease of your eye with the Crease Brush.

STEP 2: HIGHLIGHT & LINER
Next, line and define eyes with the Eye Defining Pencil in Onyx. Then, highlight the corners of eyes with Sunstone shadow for a subtle, metallic shimmer. Apply this shade beneath the brow bone to accentuate your arch and make eyes glow.

STEP 3: LASHES & BROWS
Top of your alluring eye look with Triple Impact Mascara for lashes that just won’t quit, and sculpt picture pür–fect brows with Mineral Brow Perfection powder and shaping wax.

For more holiday beauty must-haves, shop the Pür Brilliance Collection. All holiday items are Buy One, Get One FREE through December 28th!

Video Reviews on YouTube

Pur Minerals Mineral Makeup reviews spotted on YouTube:

Lauren from CaliforniaCosmetics did a review of the Pur Minerals Starter Kit and 5 piece Pür-fect Makeup Brush Collection

SparklesTV reviews the Pur Minerals 4-in-1 Split Pan Foundation and the Chisel Brush:

Follielafemme reviews the Pur Minerals Starter Kit and the Inspire, Reflect, Celebrate Eye Palette:

A Holiday Treat from Pür Minerals

We're extending our Holiday BOGO Event through December 28th! Buy any item from the Pür Brilliance Collection and get the same item absolutely FREE.

These holiday goodies are 2 for the price of 1. Keep one for yourself and give one to a friend!

Inspire, Reflect, Celebrate
Check out the expert application how-to guide for an array of alluring holiday party looks.

Live, Love, Laugh
Blush, bronze and brighten with Universal Marble Powder in Pink, Mineral Glow and Pür Radiance.

Pür-ly Brilliant Powder Brush
The powder brush takes a trip uptown with this chic design for flawless application. Made of all-natural, cruelty-free goat, sable and pony hair.

Tease, Flirt, Charm
Light up your eyes with these glimmering holiday hues.

Shop Pür Minerals Now and Make it a Pür-ly Beautiful Holiday!

Offer valid through 12/28/08 at PurMinerals.com, or while supplies last. This offer cannot be combined with any other Pür Minerals offer or promotion. Not valid on prior purchases. Pür Minerals reserves the right to discontinue or modify this offer at any time.

Shabby Chic Holiday Décor

Between buying gifts and entertaining family and friends, the holidays can take a toll on your checkbook. With so much pressure to create a memorable experience for all, we often stretch our means to their limits. Fortunately, there are some easy things you can do to trim back this year without foregoing the festivities. Read on for tips and tricks on how to stretch that holiday dollar and still embrace the warmth of the season.

Deck the Halls (for Less)
We all know how the song goes; and as far as the walls go, it doesn’t get much easier (or economic) than bundled boughs. When out shopping for that perfect tree, ask what the tree lot does with its trimmings. Discarded boughs can often be bought at a discount (or given free). Once home, arrange the evergreen limbs throughout your house—along staircase railings, mantelpieces, runners and end tables. Don’t forget to accessorize with around-the-house items like ribbon, pinecones and glitter.

Season of Light
You don’t have to break the bank and turn your rooftop into a glimmering marquis to bring that signature sparkle to your home. Candles bring a soft ambiance to any room and add a seasonal accent to any décor. If you’re bored with your candlesticks, look to your fruit bowl. Cut a hole in the tops of polishes pears and apples for unique, cost-effective candle holders. Looking to light the tree on a budget? Many box stores now feature energy-efficient LED holiday lights that burn brighter, longer and consume a fraction of the energy of traditional bulbs.

Trimmer Trimmings
While the tree has long been the season’s centerpiece, decorating it shouldn’t cost an arm and a leg. Threading popcorn through thread or fishing line to make garland is a timeless (and thrifty) tradition. Encourage kids to make their own ornaments. Make a moldable dough by mixing one cup salt with one cup flour and a half cup water, and let their imaginations take over. Once dry (a few days by air or a few hours in a low oven), they can be painted and personalized. Bulk candy canes are another great way to dress a tree for less. Just don’t be surprised if your ornaments disappear before the season’s end.